Eureka Springs, Arkansas is a place with just so many personalities.
In February, it's time to dive into some King cake because Mardi Gras is in full swing here.
(Local tip: it's actually Eureka Gras here, y'all!)
In December, you would swear Charles Dickens or Tiny Tim once lived here.
Yet, in April/May, when the fireflies, dragonflies and butterflies buzz about the hills, it would make perfect sense that fairies, gnomes, hobbits and elves are having a meeting in a treehouse somewhere. (Yes, we have treehouses!)
...and in July, our quirky approach to patriotism is "just so very Eureka!"
...but
...but it is in October, when you have to watch your back because this is when Eureka Springs turns into The Halloween City. (seriously, watch it!)
Over the years, Eureka Springs has certainly evolved as a veritable oasis of mystery and allure on so many levels but given the healing springs, the rich history, the haunted past and our perch in the sacred hills of The Ozarks, it is no wonder that our little Eureka has long been a magnetic draw for those seekers of the uncanny, the unexplained, and the eerie!
The soil and the water here are said to hide the secrets.
Originally established as a Victorian (healing) spa destination in the late 19th Century and renowned for its rejuvenating springs, today, the well-preserved architecture, lends an otherworldly chameleon-like charm to the ambience of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, as she seasonally changes personalities to please the masses.
It's a place that, in October, feels like a realm where the past lingers in every cobblestone, and an inviting gateway opens so that the boundaries between the corporeal and the ethereal blur.
OOOOOOOoooohhhh. AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaahhh.
(Ha! I'm building up the suspense, witches!)
What truly sets Eureka Springs apart from other idyllic hamlets is the enigmatic energy that hums through our streets. Similar to Salem, Massachusetts (a dark-past place just 40 minutes from my childhood home which holds an indelible mark in history for the infamous witch trials of the late 1600's) Eureka Springs has garnered a reputation for its own paranormal activity – with specters, phantasms, ghosts and restless spirits said to roam our hotels, inns, shops and even some of our homes in and around the historic district.
A focal point of Eureka Springs' mystique is The 1886 Crescent Hotel. A grand structure that looms atop West Mountain. Originally constructed as a luxurious resort in the late 19th century, this edifice has seen a multitude of incarnations – from a health resort to a women's college to its current role as a hotel, a very haunted hotel.
In fact, The 1886 Crescent Hotel has earned THE reputation as America's Most Haunted Hotel, luring those with an appetite for the macabre to experience its ghost tours and paranormal investigations. The Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventurers even swooped in to lurk in the basement looking for signs of the tortured souls that once roamed this grand mansion of doom.
My creepiest personal experience was in July 2022 when I was going around town taking some of the best selfies, I could possibly find in some choice locations for a project that I was working on called: Please Allow Me To Introduce My Selfie!
On that gorgeous July day in 2022, I had absolutely no troubles with my Android phone whatsoever when I opted to "selfie" earlier at The New Orleans Hotel, Pivot Rock or Christ of the Ozarks Statue, but when I ended up at The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa (which was my last destination for photo shooting on that day) the energy on these haunted grounds did wild things to my cell phone camera.
While the first selfie is creepy enough (not showing my face at all really) it was the second attempt that creeped me out the most.
Selfie #2 literally washes out the entire hotel behind me as if something was not OK with my taking this pic AT ALL.
Yep, chills!
(also, it needs to be said that I never changed my phone to black and white. I mean, isn't that how pics were taken many, many years ago? WTF?)
Perhaps it's the convergence of ley lines or some other inexplicable cosmic force that has made Eureka Springs a hotbed of supernatural occurrences. Who knows?
Let's take for a moment the tale of Theodora a former resident of room 419 at The 1886 Crescent Hotel. If you messed up the room or if she wasn't particularly fond of you, she would put your luggage in front of the door (from the inside) which would make it difficult for you to open it back up to enter the room again upon your return.
But why do people flock to Eureka Springs in October?
Is it the visceral thrill of confronting the unknown, of brushing against the veil between the living and the beyond? Or perhaps it's a deeper fascination with the human psyche, a curiosity to explore the corners of our consciousness that remain uncharted.
My beloved Eureka Springs stands as a testament to the timeless human fascination with the supernatural – a place where the beauty of the Ozarks converges with the enigmatic energies of the paranormal, beckoning both the curious and the courageous to immerse themselves in an atmosphere that blurs the line between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Just as Salem, Massachusetts encapsulates the complex relationship between history, hysteria, and the occult, Eureka Springs weaves its own narrative, inviting us to explore the uncharted territories of our fears and fascinations.
The phenomenon of Eureka Springs' reputation as a paranormal hotspot raises questions about the power of collective imagination and belief.
The human mind, predisposed to seeking patterns and meaning, may play a pivotal role in shaping the experiences of those who visit. The allure of the unknown, the thrill of confronting the uncanny, and the yearning to transcend the boundaries of our existence converge to create an environment ripe for the paranormal to flourish.❤️